Comet - Possibly the least professional and least customer focused chain in the UK? (Comet.co.uk)

Member Name: Mike Timney

Product:	Comet.co.uk
Date:	02/03/08 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can't think of any

Disadvantages: Staff who seem to be on a mission to piss off the customer

COMET - Possibly the most unprofessional and inept electrical retailer in the UK?

I called into my local Comet on Friday 29th feb to pick up a fridge - the actual experience of purchasing the fridge was typical of previous encounters with comet sales staff - bunch of surly, disinterested staff in a huddle which you actually have to intrude into to get any attention. Followed by equally surly and otherwise engaged warehouse staff. I got the fridge home, followed instructions and let it stand for a couple of hours, then switched it on. $ hours later the fridge was still at room temp. I called the store the next day and (following a bizzare exchange during which the Comet rep. at the other end of the phone eventually asked if it was a TV I was reporting and what did I mean 'it isn't cold?') I was told I could simply return the fridge next day and pick up a replacement - fair enough. Next day I arrived at the store and explained why I was there (after managing to break up some kind of staff meeting about last nights pub crawl) only to be told I couldn't get a replacement because a fridge is not RPC (or some equally baffling letter code) I said I didn't care what this meant, only that I had a fridge which didn't work I I wanted a new one. There then ensued a heated discussion amongst 3 or 4 staff as to which idiot could possibly have agreed to this absurdly generous level of customer service (which is clearly against comet policy). They then said they were going to investigate who had told me I could have a replacement - again I said I really didn't care who it was - I just wanted my fridge. They ignored this protestation and went off to speak with one of their colleagues on the shop floor. I could plainly hear him declare 'no one here would have told them that' - at which point I started to get a little more than mildly irritated and asked if I was now being declared a liar - no one really wanted to answer that one. I was then told that as they couldn't find out who had told me I could have a replacement I would just have to have an engineer sent out to repair the fridge. I reitterated that it was of no interest to me whatsoever who had told me about the replacement - I was not leaving without a new fridge and was not accepting that a brand new fridge should be subject to repair. Eventually the manager arrived and told me once again that policy was to repair rather than replace (in a quite aggressive manner) I said 'not acceptable - I want a new fridge' to which the manager then said (and I was staggered by this) ' How do you know that the new one won't be faulty as well? - Comet - how much faith do you have in your stock?. Ag=fter the best part of an hour and with a very dismissive - 'on this occassion only!' from the manager (no apology whatsoever for my inconvenience) I was grudgingly given my fridge.

I honestly can't believe that a nationwide chain like Comet can be satisfied that this should be a customer's experience of shopping with them. I also can't believe that they can't get staff whose general education is somewhat less than year 2 level. I absolutely will not shop there again.

Summary: I won't be back